Electric generators are typically used to provide electrical power. One common use of electric generators is as a standby power source. Another common use of electric generators is to provide power at a remote location where utility company power is not available.
One common type of electric generator includes an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine drives an electrical alternator that produces alternating electricity.
Many existing system often include multiple electric generators, especially in situations where there is a potential high demand for power. There can be advantages to employing multiple small generators rather than a single large generator.
One of the advantages is that if one generator fails, or requires maintenance, a multi-generator system can still supply some power while a single generator system would otherwise not be able to meet demand. Another advantage is that load growth may be addressed by adding another generator rather than replacing an existing generator with a larger (and more expensive) generator.
Another advantage of using multiple generators is that it is possible to stop generators that are not needed to provide power at a particular point in time. Stopping generators (i) saves wear and tear on the generators; (ii) decreases sound emissions at a location; (iii) decreases fuel consumption (and corresponding harmful environmental emissions).
Stopped generators can also be restarted as demand increases. This starting and stopping of certain generators within a plurality of generators is referred to as generator management.
Some of the drawbacks with existing generator management systems may include (i) the need for expensive external controls in order to adequately start and stop particular generators; or (ii) unequal wear of the generators resulting from the inability to dynamically change the order in which each of the plurality of generators are started and stopped in response to changes in demand.